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Wolfman & Entrepreneurs

A few weeks ago, after eating supper with my boy & catching up on emails, blogs, etc., we were watching the 1941 version of Wolfman. Bryce loves the older classic versions of Dracula, Wolfman, and Zombie movies because of the film quality, cinematography, and original creative flows. He is quite the trivia king on all this stuff.

During the movie the Wolfman attacked the town grave-digger. Bryce noticed something and asked me a profound question that spurred this blog! As the townspeople poured into the church to pay their respects to the dead grave-digger (now who buries him?) Bryce asked me, “Did everyone just go to everyone’s funeral back then?” This allowed me to explain how “back then” people were all entrepreneurs. They lived and worked in the same community, frequented each other’s businesses, went to church together, taught their children in the same school, and shared common interests. They were the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker personified!

I was then able to add that this is what our nation was founded upon. Our forefathers left the tyranny of the King of England in pursuit of freedom. Free enterprise was what our nation was founded on. If you fast forward to today, isn’t this the picture of what our nation is crying out for? Millions are under the tyranny of bosses who have no leadership skills, no dream of tomorrow, no 5, 10, or even 2 year goals. We follow them like sheep to the slaughter because that is what we were told to do. We trade our most precious commodity–ourselves– for security that is steadily disappearing.

I am not here to quote statistics. I leave that up to the more learned, capable researchers that I admire and mentor with on a daily basis. When you look at what we are actually paid, lets consider a few things and hopefully you will realize trading time for money is the exact opposite of what you need to be doing.

I will use rounded numbers because science was my forte, not math! If you are being paid $20 / hour or roughly $41K/yr. for your services on your J.O.B. immediately you are taxed heavily by the government. The tax laws were created for business owners not employees. Don’t neglect the 50% taxation if you attempt to add to a savings account! Let’s look at some other costs you acquire.

Your drive to work is time spent away from your family that you are not getting paid for. It normally deposits stress because of traffic delays, etc. If you are scheduled to work a conservative 8 hr. day, add the time you spend getting ready & commute time to this. You will determine the actual time you are away from your family. Preparation & travel time is given free to your employer!

If you have children that are school age, they are often sent to daycare or after school care until you can retrieve them at the end of your day. Factor in the costs of daycare & deduct them from your hourly wages. Don’t forget to include the visits to the doctor because they contract every strain of virus freely distributed from the little mini-petri dishes at said daycare! (Nursing background remember?)

Suppose you eat out a few times a week because you have not developed the habit of being frugal. Deduct these meal costs from your $20/hr.

If your J.O.B. requires you to observe a certain dress code and this is not normally what you would wear if you owned our own biz working from home, deduct the cost of that particular attire including dry cleaning costs if necessary.

So you have a coffee addiction and stop on the way to work at your favorite coffee bar, what is the weekly cost of that addiction? Yes…deduct that from your hourly pay too! I love my coffee cafe because I can get local art, free trade jewelry, great organic food and I belong to a beautiful community! I still have to deduct it as an expense!

Here’s one for you…..benefits! Healthcare benefits are offered and paid on a scale matched by your employer. Calculate those annual costs and deduct them from your hourly pay. I am not suggesting you deny yourself or your family healthcare, but these are an expense.

Suppose your J.O.B. has subliminally hinted that you would make more money, obtain a raise or even a greater position if you had a degree or a higher degree. Your college tuition, books, exams, time away from your family all deduct from your pay. Oh….. I will apologize ahead of time that your were deceived in thinking all this enables you to make more money. You graduate in debt for merely pennies, if anything, more per hour, because the J.O.B. you went to school to secure just got outsourced. Outsourced or indebted to it, you still have to deduct it!

The last example is the wear and tear on your vehicle. Public transit has become one of my favorites. If you do not live in an area where this is available, look at the monthly costs of transportation to and from work. I know you know by now what to do….deduct from your hourly wage.

In case you haven’t already figured it out….your projected $41K annual salary minus FICA, Social Insecurity, benefits, childcare, clothing, transportation, & meals, etc,. have actually put you in the negative. What do you have to show for it? Did you enjoy a 2 week vacation on an exotic island? Is your car paid off? Were you able to cut up your credit cards? Did you participate in a destination Christmas or are you still paying for the gifts that are now either trashed or collecting dust? Seriously….what is your accomplishment?

So please tell me why you are trading your most valuable asset? What did you surmise you actually made at that J.O.B.? While I am not suggesting to quit your J.O.B., I am suggesting that you realize there are other ways to provide financial freedom for your family. I could only hope you have understood that the risk of security in corporate America is a greater risk than being an entrepreneur.

There were more millionaires that came out of the great depression than went in. How is that possible you ask? It is only possible because they were looking for a way to get off the proverbial hamster wheel, recognized opportunities whose time had come, and stepped out of their comfort zone to achieve it. They probably mentored with some great people, like I do who, were known as bold, daring, courageous or to some, crazy! Either way…we can learn from history or repeat the mistakes of it.

Freedom isn’t free because someone chose to risk their all, pay full price and help others achieve the same. This does take courage to go against the flow of what society associates with success. From a young child, I have never been a conformist, status quo has made me frown and mediocrity never had a place in my vocabulary.

1941 Wolfman or is it?

In essence, the Wolfman illustrates what 95% of Americans are being subjected to. Death! Death of dreams, visions, precious moments never to be regained, lives lived in regret, and this epidemic is rapidly spreading. It starts with a “bite” handed down from generations. It is poison to the future generations and some never realize it.

My prayer for you is to re-evaluate not only who you are, but what you’re worth. To your family, you are irreplaceable, yet to your boss, you are expendable. Who do you spend more time with ? At the end of your life will you be concerned about that final report or remembering what color your grand children’s eyes are & what makes them dance with excitement? I am reading an awesome book right now ( I know….I say that about all the books I read!), The Ultimate Life, by Jim Stovall. I purpose to live my life ultimately to the best of my ability and lead many others to the truth.

There are seeds of greatness in all of you. When you are asked, “How are you doing?’ ….to which you reply, “Oh, you know, I am doing pretty good!” I want you to remember ……good is the enemy of GREAT.

Thank you Goddess Jacqui!
Coming from you, I take this as a great compliment and so appreciate your opinion!
It was surreal…he asked the question and voila….it just made sense!
Staying the course, conquering the world, making a difference!
We are!